Level 1: Into the Dark
Walkthrough Your journey begins in shadows, the only light coming from a Torch several paces ahead. It illuminates a gate and some text on the wall, informing you of your options: "Perish in this cell or pick up the torch". Take the torch from its sconce to open the gate. Continuing down the passage you will encounter another gate; opening this one is as simple as pulling the chain next to it. A Cudgel will be visible at the end of a hallway, but before reaching it, look to your left for an alcove containing some basic clothing to armor yourself with. Open the gate ahead by throwing the switch next to it. The next gate is guarded by a simple puzzle—it only remains open as long as something is holding down the pressure plate. You can use the Rock next to the plate, though they are handy and useful weapons in the long run, so you may want to consider using something else in your limited selection of items. As you pass through the gate, move to your right to find a Brass Key in an alcove; the door ahead must be unlocked with it. The path to your right ends quickly, with a locked gate that you lack the key for. The path to your left seems to end just as quickly, but writing on the wall hints "Loose rock". Search for one on the east wall and press it, revealing a room to your left; inside is the Iron Key you need to unlock the gate. Moving onward, you will catch sight of your first enemy: a Giant Snail. It's rather slow-moving and weak, but this early in the game, you'll want to avoid taking damage while you hit it, which can be difficult to do in a hallway. Try to engage it in the square space that it's first seen in: attack it from the side, and then strafe as it turns to face you. This fighting technique, dubbed the "Grim-Step"How to Win at Grimrock, will prove tremendously useful as you take on stronger enemies deeper into the dungeon, so this is a good opportunity to get accustomed to it. After you defeat the snail, it may drop a Snail Slice; your party may not be hungry yet, but keeping food like this with you will be absolutely vital. The gate ahead is controlled by a nearby switch. Two more Giant Snails wait for you ahead; the technique from earlier works excellently when facing one enemy, but against multiple enemies, it's very likely to get you boxed in. Taking hits from one as you fight it in a hallway isn't great, but it's better than taking hits from multiple enemies. Fortunately, there should be plenty of space to back up as the snails advance, and when fighting slow enemies like them, you'll have plenty of time to get in hits as they move. Once they're disposed of, you can take the south passage to find a small cache of various items, but not the key that you'll need to open it. To find that, you'll need to go north. Something Needs to Fly This puzzle introduces pits, which will continue to appear many times throughout upcoming levels. Moving onto one will damage your party, but also cause them to fall into an area in the next level down, often one that is inaccessible from the rest of that level. These areas may hold items, and will never trap you permanently. In this case, the pit only contains a message prompting you toward the puzzle's solution, and a Windgate that will return you to the floor above. Throw an item across the pit; it will land on the pressure plate, closing the pit and allowing you to retrieve the Iron Key. Either make sure that you leave an item you don't need on the plate, or take it and use the opportunity to explore the room below. Heal My Sight As you unlock the door, a scowling face decorates the wall ahead of you, with its eye sockets notably empty. As the inscription next to it indicates, you'll need to find the face's eyes—two Blue Gems—and return them to its sockets. One is found in the path north, which will introduce you to Herders, another slow enemy. Fortunately, they are wandering around behind a gate that you can control; open the gate to fight them at your leisure, then close the gate when you need to fall back. Throw the switch in the north end of the room to open the cell inside, letting you reach the Blue Gem. The path south is blocked by a pit; throw the switch to close it. Two Giant Snails can be seen behind a gate, but more pressingly, two more are lurking in the tunnels to the sides. The gate is opened by stepping on the pressure plate in front of it, but it's closed by stepping on the pressure plate behind it; this will keep both Snails from following you out, but also trap you inside when you enter to retrieve the other Gem. There are two ways to exit, each one demonstrating the workings of gates with multiple triggers. One way is to search next to the bench for a loose rock, which performs the same function as the outer plate; place an item on the inner plate, then press the rock. The other is to stand on the inner plate and drop an item through the gate. In both cases, the gate will open even though the plate which closes it is already pressed down, because the more recent control takes priority. Place the Gems inside the eye sockets to open the door. Unfortunately, a nasty surprise awaits you—an Undead Soldier. While not the fastest movers, these monsters can attack quickly, and their armor will lead to your attacks doing much less damage to them than to the other enemies you've faced so far. With an appearance at this stage, a dodging technique like the Grim-Step is all but necessary to survive. Fortunately, upon its defeat, you can claim the spear and shield for your own fighters. In the passage beyond, you'll find the first of the Iron Doors, with an alcove next to it containing a Scroll which provides details about them. Moving onward, you'll come to a brightly glowing Crystal of Life; another Scroll next to it details their ability to fully restore your party, even from death. After one has been used, it will take two minutes of real-time before it can be used again. Continue past an alcove containing the Scroll of Poison Cloud to reach the stairs leading to Level 2. Monsters *7 Giant Snails *1 Undead Soldier *4 Herders (Standard) Items Weapons *Cudgel *Dagger *Knife *5 Rocks *Shuriken *Throwing Knife *Whitewood Wand Armor *Leather Boots *Leather Pants *2 Loincloths *Lurker Boots *Peasant's Breeches *Peasant's Tunic *Sandals *Tattered Cloak Consumable & Ingredients *Baked Maggot *2 Cave Nettles *2 Grim Caps *Pitroot Bread *2 Tar Beads Miscellaneous *2 Blue Gems *Brass Key *2 Iron Keys *3 Scrolls *Scroll of Fireburst *Scroll of Poison Cloud *13 Torches Secrets * In the starting room, search the southeast corner for a hidden button. This will open a wall next to you, revealing a small chamber containing Lurker Boots and 1 Shuriken. * Inside the cell in the room full of Herders, there is a large button opposite the bench. Press it to open the wall north of the switch, revealing a room containing two Cave Nettles, a Dagger, and a Tar Bead. * Iron Door: In the room past the Heal My Sight puzzle, search for two loose rocks, one to the left of the torch and one on the east wall. Inside is an alcove holding the Whitewood Wand and a Scroll detailing its use. References Category:Levels